Mike Brown has been releasing music as “The Man from RavCon” for nearly ten years, but this album is the first I’ve heard. Judging by the covers of his previous albums, he seems to have a thing for soundtrack music, including science fiction (especially the campy pulp variety), Westerns, and spy movies. Certainly some of that comes through with the music on Another World. The first track is “Colossus,” and it features an easy groove on a synthesizer forming the base for a nice space-rock tune with melodies on guitars and good backing from keys, bass, and drums. “Satellite Flight” continues in a similar vein — a mid-tempo groove with a vaguely space-oriented sound, plus a bit of Mellotron for that added cool factor. Other tracks veer into smoother territory, paying homage to anonymous soundtrack and library music, and while it’s all nicely played, the overall impression can be of innocuous filler. The more upbeat tunes are the most successful, like the two previously mentioned and “Code Red,” which has a driving riff in seven. For instrumental music like this to work for me, there has to be a spark of energy to keep me interested, and maybe half of Another World succeeds in that respect. Much of it is too mannered and polite, though the high production values and nice arrangement choices keep it from falling into the discard pile. I certainly don’t insist on technical virtuosity (in fact it can sometimes be a turn-off) but a little flash of energy would be welcome — a crazy guitar solo or a weird synth tone or a bit of dissonance could really liven things up. I would recommend this to listeners who like music that doesn’t stray into “difficult” areas, who should find its charms much to their liking.

Latest news

2019-02-21You Can Be Part of an Ambient Electronic Project –
The Gesture of History is a new electronic project put together by Sam Rosenthal of Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Steve Roach, and violist Sam Shadow. The music started as an instrumental track Rosenthal was working on for a Black Tape album, but took on a life of its own and demanded further enhancements. The majority of the funds raised will go to manufacturing costs for LP and CD editions, as well as other items as detailed on the Kickstarter page. »
Read more

2019-01-31Keyboardist Ingo Bischof R.I.P. –
Keyboard player Ingo Bischof, best known as the longtime keyboard player of German band Kraan, passed away on January 29th, 2019. Bischof was born January 2, 1951 in Berlin-Kreuzberg and joined Kraan in 1975. »
Read more

2019-01-11Jazz Composer Mark Lomax, II Releases Epic 12CD Set –
In addition to being a fine jazz drummer, Dr. Mark Lomax, II is a composer in residence at Ohio State University, where he has been very busy on the compositional front. The year 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first ship bringing African slaves to North America, and in commemoration of this, Lomax has produced 400: An Afrikan Epic, a 12 volume set of CDs featuring a variety of different musical ensembles. »
Read more

2019-01-02Chicago-Based Surabhi Ensemble Tours the World in January –
Surabhi Ensemble was formed more than a decade ago in Chicago with the aim of bringing together musicians from varying traditions to make music. Saraswathi Ranganathan, who plays veena, assembled a cast that includes Arabic oud, Spanish guitar, and percussion from Africa and India. This month, the group will be sharing their sounds with concert-goers in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa. »
Read more

2018-12-23Seaprog Festival Seeks Donations –
Seaprog is a small festival in Seattle that highlights creative music from many genres with artists from around the world. It's also a US non-profit organization. They're seeking donations to help keep the ball rolling. Starting in 2013, the organization has been growing, and has featured such artists as Free Salamander Exhibit, Jack o' the Clock, Nik Turner, Cabezas de Cera, Miriodor, Thinking Plague, and many more. »
Read more